EU Wants Its Share of Good Immigrants
From the desk of Chresten Anderson on Thu, 2005-12-29 19:47

There is a clear pattern in international migration. The US attracts 54 percent of the highly skilled workers, whereas the EU attracts 84 percent of the unskilled workers. In the long term this is a bad deal for Europe, because unskilled workers tend to draw benefits from the welfare system, whereas highly qualified workers tend to contribute to the government's revenue.

To counter this trend the European Commission has a new proposal which will allow highly qualified foreign immigrants to apply for Europe-wide work permits enabling them to look for jobs anywhere in the European Union. The idea was spawned by Justice commissioner Franco Frattini and employment commissioner Vladimir Spidla who recently (21 December) presented what they called an EU "road map" towards a common EU approach to legal migration.

While the idea has some merit  namely that the EU should make it easier for highly qualified workers to enter, the approach is inappropriate.

Firstly, giving the EU the power to control immigration policies is another step towards "an ever closer union." And that is the wrong way to go for Europe.

Secondly, the proposed solution does not deal with the cause of the international migratory pattern, where highly qualified workers go to the States and welfare clients go to Europe.

The reason for this pattern is to be found in the European welfare model, especially in the Scandinavian model, where high taxes are a disincentive for hard work.

Unless Europe solves the problem of the defunct welfare system, along the lines, for instance, of Wilfried Prewo's reform proposal [pdf], then changes in immigration policy will not change much in the international pattern, because people who can take care of themselves will still go to a place where that is possible, i.e. the US.

After this problem has been solved national governments should look at the merits of the EU Commission proposal, which follows an American model with a so-called EU green card, alllowing skilled immigrants to obtain work and residence permits to the union under a special fast track scheme.

The proposal is a system of multi-year, multiple-entry permits, which could encourage seasonal workers to return home after the working season, knowing they can return legally for other temporary jobs later. Such permits may very well prevent tens of thousands of agriculture and construction workers from entering the EU illegally each year and working on the black market.

But the proposal should not include the package that aims at ensuring all working immigrants the same rights as EU citizens in terms of education, health service and freedom of circulation, and at creating legal alternatives to illegal immigration. Because that is exactly the cause of the EU's immigration problem.

yeah now lets consider the mexican hordes that work in the US and
lets laugh together about silly statistics.

Click to expand...

Uh to the point, most Americans want the Mexican-US border closed to illegals. But what of the C11m already here? Nearly all gain employment, dicey at first, more regular as time goes on. Most own property within 5 years. Many start their own businesses. As of today, any children born here, are US citizens.

Now I'm not saying that this should continue, but up to this point, the illegals have been getting what they want; employers are getting the salaries they want; we're all getting grocery, daycare, lawncare, and restaurant prices that have been scarcely touched by inflation. Notice a pattern here, that's a trifle different than the 'Welcome immigrants' that EU countries have been handing out?

no the pattern is not different at all, my parents complained long and loud
about government guranteed loans for all the Russian"Germans" getting
new houses.

There is a differenence at the top level where there is a brain drain
towards the US.

But overall the huge majority is working the labor jobs.

The US just runs the Mexicans mostly illegal. Why, well I assume the
rich profit from their Mecican housekeepers nannys gardeners and
dont want to deport em.

When you compare public sentiment and congress resolutions through
the last 20 years you d see that they pretty much do the opposite on 80%
of the topics.

the numbers 54% and 84% are both laughable.

Click to expand...

The 'Russian Germans' were Germans before being enslaved by the sellout of an ill FDR. We do not ghettoize the Mexicans, Islamics, Asians. Do they live in lower standard housing, perhaps for 5-10 years, when they have sent enough 'back' to Mexico and 'saved enough' to move up, some more quickly, some not at all. BUT, there is no programs for them 'to fall back on' to stay in ghettos. It's the largest reasons we do not have the 'coming to a boil' problem that France is confronting, which they are.

yeah there are not ghettos of mexicans in the US. Nobody forces the
Russians to live in Ghettos either. But minorities tend to do that mixed
with the resentment they often face. Blacks in most rich neighborhoods here
are not welcome either.

What else do you got to sell.

Try this as your new avatar and I shall stop the relentless e-beating. :teeth:

yeah there are not ghettos of mexicans in the US. Nobody forces the
Russians to live in Ghettos either. But minorities tend to do that mixed
with the resentment they often face. Blacks in most rich neighborhoods here
are not welcome either.

What else do you got to sell.

Try this as your new avatar and I shall stop the relentless e-beating. :teeth:

Click to expand...

Um, that isn't the way to encourage discourse. Well, there are plenty of blacks living in wealthy neighborhoods. That doesn't mean that there wasn't and isn't discrimination.

I teach a class that is 18% Mexican, all the kids are bilinqual, fluently. They all live in more expensive homes than I, though few of their parents are college educated, most own their own business.

So, is every black in the ghetto, no. Much has been accomplished since the 1960's.

Neither are all Mexicans driving crazy or pulling lettuce. What I am saying is that in the US, those here legally get further faster, yet even those here illegally have a better standard of living than 'back home' and if they stay long enough, they can garner quite a lot of wealth. What the 'system' does not do for legals or illegals is ghettoize them through a welfare system, with no hope for rising status or income.

Why do so many Europeans still apply for work visas here? Because of the great economy there? Why so few children being born in Europe, if there is such a glorious future awaiting them?

You are taking this as European bashing, when if anything it is a lament to what Europe has been 'becoming' for too long.

I just like to point out the ghettos and spanish as a second language,

LA is part of Mexico and other stuff happens here. The great majority
of immigrants first will always fill the lower physical labor jobs. Here
in Idaho there is a city only filled with Mexicans. Mostly farm workers
next to boise. But the numbers that claim that 40+ percent of immigrants
are top level persons are ridicilous high. You stating it , I assume you agree.
So I attacked that part of your message and the spin it gives it.

You failed to counter that. Now back to the kitchen , woman. :shocked:

My ad hominem attacks are only for my self entertainment.
Dont take it too seriously. I still love you. :kiss2:

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